RECIPE: HOMEMADE CHEESE SNACK CRACKERS

I love CheeseIts and other snack crackers, but don’t like all the stuff found in them. I decided to create my own version, a hybrid of cheese straws and cheese crackers. After quite a few trial-and-error efforts, this is now my favorite snack recipe for movie night, gameday, and they are so nice for a grazing board, too. The recipe doubles and triples if you need an exceptionally large quantity. Just make certain to roll them out thin enough so they can get nice and golden brown so they will be crunchy.

HOMEMADE CHEESE CRACKERS

Makes 100-150 depending on size and thickness.

Note: Block cheese you grate yourself works infinitely better than not pre-shredded cheese. The better the cheese, the better the cracker.

Edges and bottom should be lightly browned.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces extra sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt, plus more for topping

¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed

Pinch cayenne

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

2 tablespoons ice water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Add the grated cheese, flour and salt to a food processor and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter, a few pieces at a time and pulse a few times after each addition. After the butter has been incorporated, pulse a few more times until the dough is crumbly.

Add the water then pulse several more times.

The dough won't come together in a ball, it will be very crumbly as you can see in the photo above, but it should come together when you press it with your hands. Shape into a disc and wrap it in plastic. Chill for 30 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle, as thin as you can get it; about 1/8 inch thick.

Use a knife, pizza cutter or pastry wheel to slice into 1-inch squares. Use a skewer to poke a hole through the center of each cracker. Place on the baking sheets and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until deep golden brown on the bottom and golden on the sides. If they are too light, they will not be crispy. Let them cool completely before storing them.

RECIPE: HOMEMADE CARAMEL CORN

When I was a kid, there was a caramel corn shop at our local mall. When you stepped out of a store, that buttery, sugary aroma from the cooked caramel would be soooo tempting- you’d eventually go get a bag. One of my friends worked there and gave me the recipe. I have made this recipe every fall for decades now- it is a fall tradition that I wanted to pass along to you! xo

BAKED CARAMEL CORN

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

6 quarts popped popcorn

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 250 F.

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Spread out the popcorn in one even layer.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat and stir in the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then boil without stirring, for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Gradually pour the hot caramel over the popped corn.

Bake for 1 hour, turning over the popcorn every 15 minutes. Cool completely and store in a covered container.

EASY PARTY APPETIZER: HOMEMADE RICOTTA AND CHARRED TOMATO CROSTINI

Chef James Lewis of Bettola Restaurant in Birmingham contributed this recipe to my book, Birmingham's Best Bites. I've come to love his homemade ricotta and this crostini is a wonderful party bite any time of the year. The ricotta can be kept in the fridge and used for other recipes.... like Jalapeno Poppers, Gnudi (Gnocchi like dumplings), cheesecake, as a filling for manicotti, or in my luscious Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake!

Photo: Arden Photography from Birmingham's Best Bites

RICOTTA AND CHARRED TOMATO CROSTINI BETTOLA

INGREDIENTS

House-Made Ricotta:

1 gallon whole milk

½ teaspoon citric acid

½ teaspoon sea salt

Crostini:

½ cup olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic

8-10 slices slightly stale Italian or French bread, thinly sliced

Tomatoes:

16-20 small cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon olive oil

Pinch Sea salt, or to taste

Fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

Black pepper (optional)

Aged balsamic vinegar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

To prepare House-Made Ricotta, heat whole milk to 360°F, then remove pan and let cool. Add ½ teaspoon citric acid and ½ teaspoon sea salt and stir. Chill and strain with linen or double lined cheesecloth; drain to catch whey.

To make Crostini, heat, ½ cup of oil on low in a cast iron skillet or pan. Add one smashed garlic clove and heat on low 4-5 minutes. Remove oil and garlic from skillet.

Return a small amount of oil and heat skillet to medium.

Add several slices of bread into pan and toast until lightly browned on each side. Remove slices when they have reached desired level of crispness. Add a small amount of garlic oil back into skillet and continue toasting until lightly browned.

To prepare tomatoes, lightly rub ion olive oil and sea salt. Char them in hot cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat before toasting the bread for crostini or roast them under a broiler to blister the tomato while toasting the bread. Once tomatoes are charred or blistered, smash the tomatoes to break them up a bit. If they are sweeter, leave them whole.

To assemble, spread ricotta on bread. Top with charred tomatoes. Garnish with fresh basil, season with sea salt, olive oil and a pinch of black pepper and balsamic vinegar, if desired.

Tip: When making the House-Made Ricotta, it helps to put cheesecloth over a colander and let it slowly drain. After you have strained the ricotta, remove it from the linen. At this point you can mix in your choice of seasoning; such as fresh herbs, citrus zest, honey, bacon; adjust the seasoning to fit the dish you are serving the ricotta with.

For smoother cheese, pulse in food processor until you’ve reached your desired consistency.